The leisure districts of early twentieth-century central London were safer, better lit and more easily accessible than they had been in the 1890s, and the expansion of the Underground network and the rise in motorised travel allowed many more people the opportunity to enjoy a daytrip to the city.
Writing in 1902, the journalist George Sims imagined the ideal metropolitan excursion in an article entitled ‘A Country Cousin's Day in Town'.
Beginning with a trip to Madame Tussaud's, a ride to Tower Hill on the Metropolitan Railway, and a refreshment stop at Pimm's luncheon counter, the morning would end with a stroll around the Royal Aquarium, a visit to St James's Hall in Piccadilly and to the nearby Egyptian Hall. The evening would commence with dinner in the artists' room at Pagani's, a visit to the ‘poetic and beautifully draped' ballet at the Alhambra Theatre, a ‘long glass of lager' in the continental style at the cosmopolitan Hotel de L'Europe with its Parisian inspired décor, and a visit to the latest moving picture show at the Palace Theatre. After catching the end of the ballet at the Empire, the evening would draw to a close with a peep into the ‘luxurious Criterion bar and American café', a glance at the seafood display in the window of Scott's, and a leisurely nightcap at the Café Royal ‘seated comfortably on a luxurious lounge'.">
The leisure districts of early twentieth-century central London were safer, better lit and more easily accessible than they had been in the 1890s, and the expansion of the Underground network and the rise in motorised travel allowed many more people the opportunity to enjoy a daytrip to the city.
Writing in 1902, the journalist George Sims imagined the ideal metropolitan excursion in an article entitled ‘A Country Cousin's Day in Town'.
Beginning with a trip to Madame Tussaud's, a ride to Tower Hill on the Metropolitan Railway, and a refreshment stop at Pimm's luncheon counter, the morning would end with a stroll around the Royal Aquarium, a visit to St James's Hall in Piccadilly and to the nearby Egyptian Hall. The evening would commence with dinner in the artists' room at Pagani's, a visit to the ‘poetic and beautifully draped' ballet at the Alhambra Theatre, a ‘long glass of lager' in the continental style at the cosmopolitan Hotel de L'Europe with its Parisian inspired décor, and a visit to the latest moving picture show at the Palace Theatre. After catching the end of the ballet at the Empire, the evening would draw to a close with a peep into the ‘luxurious Criterion bar and American café', a glance at the seafood display in the window of Scott's, and a leisurely nightcap at the Café Royal ‘seated comfortably on a luxurious lounge'.">
 | 'The Café Royal' (1911) |
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'The Café Royal' (1911)
The huge variety of public leisure interiors �" cafés, music halls and clubs among them �" depicted by artists linked to the Camden Town Group reveal their enthusiasm for and direct engagement with the new entertainment and refreshment spaces of modern urban life.
The leisure districts of early twentieth-century central London were safer, better lit and more easily accessible than they had been in the 1890s, and the expansion of the Underground network and the rise in motorised travel allowed many more people the opportunity to enjoy a daytrip to the city.
Writing in 1902, the journalist George Sims imagined the ideal metropolitan excursion in an article entitled ‘A Country Cousin's Day in Town'.
Beginning with a trip to Madame Tussaud's, a ride to Tower Hill on the Metropolitan Railway, and a refreshment stop at Pimm's luncheon counter, the morning would end with a stroll around the Royal Aquarium, a visit to St James's Hall in Piccadilly and to the nearby Egyptian Hall. The evening would commence with dinner in the artists' room at Pagani's, a visit to the ‘poetic and beautifully draped' ballet at the Alhambra Theatre, a ‘long glass of lager' in the continental style at the cosmopolitan Hotel de L'Europe with its Parisian inspired décor, and a visit to the latest moving picture show at the Palace Theatre. After catching the end of the ballet at the Empire, the evening would draw to a close with a peep into the ‘luxurious Criterion bar and American café', a glance at the seafood display in the window of Scott's, and a leisurely nightcap at the Café Royal ‘seated comfortably on a luxurious lounge'.
Attribution: Charles Ginner (1878–1952)
Licence: Not known